According to his Twitter account, Rico is getting surgery on Thursday. 

Per Arkley tweet - Christian on Johnson: "He's got two fractures in his leg. He's probably going to have surgery in the next week. We'll move from there."

It tells me we didn't offer Groce enough to keep him. I am happy with JC because he's a great coach. Groce might be a once in a generation leader for a program.

Nailed it. 

Why? Why do we have to be a stepping stone job? He loved that team. He loved Athens (getting emotional in an interview). This is where you FIND the money. Stepping stone job? Child Please! If we always think we are a stepping stone job we will always be a stepping stone job. Shortsighted in my opinion.

Everybody on this board always complains about not being "next level" or wanting a "better conference" or being a "national player." You have to take chances. John Groce was a VERY SAFE bet. Our leadership is satisfied with being a good MAC program. That is fine.

I am stating a fact. We did not offer enough money to keep him. I think we could have made an offer that he would have stayed. I firmly believe if he'd stayed we could have become a perennial top 25 program. We would have blown past the rest of the MAC. I understand why he left but I wish we could have kept him.

I don't post updates about him. When I read articles about how awesome he is doing in Champaign, I think man I wish we ponied up enough money to keep him. I think it would be much easier to "let him go" if people stop finding it necessary to continue posting updates on him. That's great he tweeted concerned about Ric and it is great he takes time to write members of our military. I think people that post these thing have just a hard enough time letting him go as my comments relating to their post. It is more of a passive aggressive approach. Oh geez look at the great John Groce. Why are these people trolling Illinois sites to begin with if they have already moved on? Perhaps it is their love for Groce? I have never been or will never go to an Illinois site. I don't look for information on Groce. It was presented to me on a Ohio board. So who is really having a tough time letting him go?

It is like having to see the smoking hot girl that you took to the dance twice with another man. You just don't want to see it and when you do you think about what could have been. Then thinking to yourself, I am a nice guy, we had fun but she is with a better dude. Hopefully I can get stepped on by another girl one day.

I think JC was the best replacement we could find. I agree with most posters that JC is here to stay for a long time. I think he will bring a satisfactory amount of success to Ohio. I think we can be a consistent top 3 or 4 team in the MAC year in and year out. Sure we can win a game or two with JC but not perennial top 25. Speaking in another metaphor we replaced filet with NY strip.

Aloha.

Setting aside the salary matching issue, which is impossible, could someone tell me when Groce had us as a perennial top 25 team. Was that before or after losing to two straight sub-200 RPI teams?

I get a sinking feeling every time I think about Ric's injury.

Probably we couldn't have kept Groce.  But I'd hope--fantasy?--that somehow Ohio should be able to come up with $1-3 million to keep a stud coach in hoops.  The Convo has enough seats to sell to defray a reasonable part of that.  Then, a tough program should be able to get some road money games.  Alum/friends coming up with the rest of the money in advance....perhaps realizing that national prominence could well lead to greater alumni offerings, hopefully more than offsetting the up front investment...in a way that also boosts academics...

I don't think his or the staff parking benefits could get much better than they had at the Convo but the players benefits sure did

Better hand dryers too. Can't wait to see how the remodel goes......but he maybe off to greener pastures by the time the State Farm center is done.

FWIW...the coaches have a very nice suite at Ohio and the locker room/training room changes are finestkind. The Basketball offices were remodeled recently as was the locker room. Those are not at issue at all.

I was stating that to not except just being a stepping stone job. Alden was brilliant by building a high major sized venue. Why except something that can chance? I do give what I can to the Athletic Department hoping to help build a bigger budget. Also I know the politics of the institution so I also match every donation I make to the AD with one to the Endowment. I want to eventually match every dollar with one to the general fund as well.